ROCKFORD - A man's thick winter coat saved his life when Rockford Police Department detectives say his girlfriend's 58-year-old ex-husband shot him once with a .25-caliber handgun Tuesday morning.

Frederick M. Williams, 58, of Rockford, was arrested on initial charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. He is being held in the Winnebago County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

The boyfriend had accompanied his 48-year-old girlfriend to work at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, 1080 W. Riverside Blvd. At around 10:30 a.m. police said Williams, the girlfriend's ex-husband, entered the office located inside the North Towne Mall shopping center armed with a handgun.

The ex-husband opened fire, police said, but the bullet became lodged in the boyfriend's thick winter coat and did not penetrate his body.

A struggle for the gun ensued. It was wrestled away from the ex-husband, who then fled. The weapon was recovered.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday, police went to Williams' residence where he was located and taken into custody.